One of the smartest things Premier Christy Clark’s government has done was ask Matt Horne, of the Pembina Institute, to join BC’s Climate Leadership Team last year. The credibility they gained from that single act opened the door to new possibilities. Unfortunately that door appears to have shut . Premier Clark chose to ignore the suggestions made by her Climate Leadership Team. Yesterday Horne has released a statement that the proposed LNG facility on Lelu Island could become Canada’s largest carbon polluter.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s (CEAA) draft report on Petrona’s proposed Lelu island terminal, at the mouth of BC’s Skeena river, states that, ” … if the Project were to proceed, it would be amongst the largest single point sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the country.” Lelu Island will more than double Canada’s LNG emissions.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s (CEAA) 20-day comment period for a proposed mega-sized LNG terminal in Delta, BC, began on May 22. If the WesPack Tilbury Marine Jetty is built, it can bring up to 120 LNG tankers and 90 LNG carriers to the Fraser River every year. This might have totally escaped our notice, if someone from Voters Taking Action On Climate Change (VTACC) hadn’t seen a notice a notice about the proposed LNG facility on the British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office’s (BC EAO) website. That was last week. Today, a day before the comment period officially ends, word came that the CEAA has not been taking comments.
Building a major LNG terminal in Delta would have a major impact on the mouth of the Fraser River. The diaphragm at the top of this page shows how LNG tankers would come into, and leave, the proposed WesPack Tilbury Marine Jetty. Even with the help of tugboats, they need most of the Fraser River’s width to turn around. The National Energy Board has already granted an export license for a facility that could bring up to 120 LNG tankers and 90 LNG barges to this terminal every year. In the US, LNG proponents need to assess potential hazards all along LNG tanker routes, but the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is considering waiving an environmental assessment. The public comment period on this project is almost over, you have two days left to ask for an environmental review.
The National Energy Board has already granted an export license, to US based WesPac Midstream, for a facility that could bring up to 120 LNG tankers and 90 LNG barges into the Fraser River every year. The public’s opportunity to make their concerns known ends June 11. There are only eight days to comment on Delta’s proposed LNG terminal (WesPack Tilbury Marine Jetty).
